Imam Reza Holy Shrine

The Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad is the main religious and architectural highlight of Mashhad to visit which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Shiites. This shrine is the world’s largest mosque by dimension. It has seven courtyards and has the total area of 598,657 square meters. By the end of the 9th century a dome was built on Imam Reza’s grave and his shrine was expanded. This complex contains various buildings such as the Goharshad Mosque, vast prayer halls a museum, a library, four seminaries and a cemetery.

The Tomb of Ferdowsi in Tous

The tomb of Ferdowsi is a complex composed of a white marble base, and a decorative edifice erected in honor of Ferdowsi located in Tous, in Razavi Khorasan province. This is resting place of the most famous Iranian poet who composed his book “Shahnameh” which took him 30 years to complete. Ferdowsi’s tomb is built in style of the Achaemenid architecture specially emulating the tomb of Cyrus the Great. In this garden, apart from Ferdowsi tomb, there are the tombs of other poets from Khorasan, a museum and a library. The museum contains artifacts unearthed from the ancient city of Tous.

Kooh Sangi Park

Kooh sangi which means rocky mountain in Persian has two great rocks overlooking the Mashhad city. This place is one of the oldest and most memorable sights of the city which is the third most visited place by tourists after Imam Reza holy shrine and Ferdowsi’s tomb. The creation of this park has been recently developed and expanded.

Nader Shah Afshar’s Tomb

Nader Shah was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty and ruled Iran between 1736 and 1747. The Afsharid dynasty is known as one of the most powerful Persian dynasties. Some historians have described Nader Shah as the second Alexander or the Napoleon of Persia. His tomb is located in a beautiful garden in the center of Mashhad. There is a statue of him riding a horse while holding an axe in the front of his army, on the top if his tomb. There is also a museum inside the tomb which contains over 100 armors, helmets and weapons.

The tomb of Attar in Neyshabur

This is the burial place of Iranian Sufi, poet and theoretician of Attar; a strong believer in the principles of Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism on the 12th century. Attar was born in the northeastern Iranian city Neyshabur. He traveled widely throughout Egypt, Turkistan and India during his youth and returned to Neyshabur. Attar’s Conference of the Birds is his famous book with about 4500 lines written in Persian. The structure of his tomb was built in the 15th century during the Timurids dynasty in Neyshaboor.

Mausoleum of Omar Khayyam in Neyshabur

This is the resting place of the famous Iranian mathematician and poet of 11thcentury. Author of Rubaaiyat, Khayyam is known as one of the major astronomers and mathematicians of the Islamic Golden Age. He is the author of one of the most important treatises on algebra written before modern times. His poems are translated in many languages. The structure of the mausoleum was built in the 20th century with a sophisticated architecture in a beautiful garden. There is also a statue of him in the area and a museum and a library are located near his tomb.

The historical village of Kang

Kang is a traditional village near Mashhad which is known for its spectacular architecture. Roofs of houses serve as streets and pedestrian areas, which is similar to the touristic village of Masuleh, located in Gilan province. In the local dialect Kang means Kang means “a strong claw living in the mountains” or a strong fortress against others. Due to its wonderful architecture as well as its green nature, the village is popular among people of Mashhad.